Elastic traction device and scale therefor



Dec. 7, 1965 GOODMAN A 3,221,735

ELASTIC TRACTION DEVICE AND SCALE THEREFOR Filed May 25, 1962 INVENTUR United States Patent 3,221,735 ELASTIC TRACTION DEVICE AND SCALE THEREFOR Abraham Manoah Goodman, Bantry Bay, near Cape Town, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa {P.O. Box 2219 and Room 616, Netherlands Bank Bldg., 85 St. Georges St., Cape Town, Cape Province, Republic of South Africa) Filed May 23, 1962, Ser. No. 199,215 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa, July 18, 1961, R 61/727 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-75) The present invention relates to a traction device that includes a scale that is graduated in pounds, the traction device being provided for the purpose of stretching any part of the human body, such as a vertebral joint, and further being provided for the purpose of limb articulation.

Prior to the instant invention, the traction devices in use heretofore included a cutf or halter that was fitted around the base of the neck and chin of the patient. The other ends of the straps were hooked onto a crisscross bar above the patients head. From the cross bar, one or more non-elastic cords were attached, and the free ends of the cords were extended over pulleys and weights that were attached to the ends of the cords. Other elaborate apparatus using pulleys or gears, etc., were also used, but with all of these prior methods or apparatus it was necessary that the patient be located in the recumbent or sitting-up positions. In alternative prior known devices, strings or cords were attached to a corset which was fitted around the patients hip, etc. The other ends of the strings or cords were run over pulleys at the base of the bed, and weights were attached thereto that exerted a predetermined tension on the part of the body being stretched.

In the present invention, traction is produced on the part of the patients body to be stretched by the use of an elasticised webbing. Use of the elasticised webbing thus simplifies the procedure in producing the required traction. This procedure is combined with a simple technique of measuring the poundage stretch of the part of the body under traction. Not only is the device of the present invention economical, but the elasticised webbing is inherently resistant to failure, thereby insuring that the stretch characteristics of the webbing are always retained. Furthermore, the use of the elasticised webbing is physiologically more suitable for the patient since he canassist himself and does not necessarily require the use or helpof an assistant in the application of the traction device to the part of the body to be stretched. Since the stretch characteristics of the elastic webbing are essentially the same as those of the patients muscles, tension or strain of the muscles of the part of the patients body under traction may be avoided. It is recognized that this is the accepted procedure for applying traction to various parts of the human body. In accordance with the present invention, a traction device is provided that comprises one or more elastic web members having a graduated scale attached to a fixed buckle end of the elasticised webbing, each web member including means for anchoring it to one end of a rigid support and for securing the other end to a corset, halter or cuff that is adapted to be attached to that part of the human body to be put under tension.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved traction device that will cause less discomfort and inconvenience than the prior known traction devices employed heretofore and that will further readily indicate the poundage stretch which is essential for controlling and correctly using the apparatus embodied herein.

3,221,735 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 Another object of the invention is to attach a traction scale to the buckle of an endless elasticised band wherein a static pointer or hand is attached to the fixed buckle end of the elastic band.

Another object is to provide a traction device that includes at least one connecting member that is interconnected to a halter and to a fixed support and that is further adapted to be adjustable to place the part of the patients body being stretched under a predetermined tension.

Still another object is to provide indicating means for use in a traction device that includes a graduated scale that is afiixed to an elasticised webbing and indicating means that is formed as an elongated indicator that is fixed with respect to said scale.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing one form of the traction device embodied herein as applied to a halter for use in cervical stretching;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective showing another form of the invention embodied herein and further showing the use of the invention with a halter; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the traction device illustrated in FIG. 2 and particularly showing the indicating means therefor.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, one form of the invention embodied herein is illustrated as applied to the head of a patient for cervical stretching. A halter or cult 1 of conventional construction is placed around the head and jaw of the patient, and attached to the opposed upper ends of the halter are rings 3. Interconnected to the rings 3 are a pair of connecting members that define the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown, a single length .of elasticised webbing 2 is provided for each connecting member and is interconnected to the ring 3 through a hook 12. Secured to the other end of the elasticised Web member 2 is a ring 4, the web member 2 being joined to the ring 4 by stitching or the like that is located adjacent the ring 4. Thus, the portion of the web member 2 that projects through the ring 4 is sewn back on itself. Also projecting through the ring 4 is an endless, non-stretch web 5 to which a ring 6 is interlooped at the end opposite the ring 4. The ring 6 may be attached to the end of a bed or door hook as illustrated in FIG. 1, and it is understood that any other suitable means, such as clamps or hooks, may be utilized for the securement of the ring 6 to a fixed support. In an alternative arrangement, the web 5 may be passed around the uprights of a chair, the back of which is placed at the head of a bed.

In order to adjust the position of the connecting member with respect to the halter 1 and the fixed support to'which the connecting member is interconnected, the non-stretch web 5 is formed with an adjustable buckle 7 through which the free ends 10 of the Web 5 extend. The free ends 10 of the web 5 are further marked in equal divisions as illustrated in FIG. 1 so that the lengths of the web 5 for each connecting member may be equally adjusted to apply an equal distribution of tensile forces to the halter 1.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a modified form of the invent-ion is illustrated, and, as shown, the modification of the invention is also applied to a halter secured around thereof. The modification of the invention includes a pair of elastic connecting members 11 that are formed as an endless web which is in contradistinction to the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the nonelastic web 5 is interconnected to the elastic web 2. The endless elastic web 11 projects through a hook 12 that is in turn received within one of the rings of the halter applied to the patients head. Secured to the endless connecting member or web 11 is a buckle 7 that defines an enclosed loop for the connecting member and further provides for the adjustment of the loop as required. The free ends of each of the connecting members or webs 11 are defined by the numeral 19 and are suitably marked in equal divisions so that the lengths of the free ends may be adjusted in equal amounts to insure the application of an equal amount of pressure to the halter. A portion of the loop of the connecting members or webs 11 have a traction indicator 8 extending thereover, the indicator 8 being secured to the buckle 7 in some convenient manner. The indicator 8 may be in the form of a fixed pointer as illustrated in FIG. 3 or may be in the form of a plastic sleeve that envelops the web. Marked on the portion of the web adjacent the fixed indicator 8 are a plurality of markings that are calibrated in some preferred manner so as to indicate the amount of tension applied to the part of the body being stretched.

It is understood that the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 includes the indicator 8 and scale 9 as just described.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, the endless belt as shown in FIG. 2 is illustrated in more detail, and as shown, the fixed pointer or indicator 8 is illustrated secured directly to a fixed part of the web that is joined to the buckle 7. Since the webbing on which the scale 9 is located is adapted to be stretched when the required tension is applied to the part of the body being stretched, the scale 9 will expand relative to the indicator 8. A scale reading may then be obtained to indicate the tension that is being applied to the part of the body being stretched. In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connecting member in the form of the looped webbing is secured to a clamp 13 that is in turn fixed to the headboard of a bed. As further shown in FIG. 3, the indicator or pointer 8 may be fixed to the portion of the webbing that is joined to the buckle at 14 in any convenient manner.

In both forms of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the connecting members are employed in pairs so as to impart an equal tension on the opposed sides of the halter ends, thereby insuring that the required tension will be applied to the part of the patients body to be stretched.

In the use of the invention, the halter 1 is first placed over the head of the patient so that the cupped strap fits around the patients chin, the back flap nestling at the back of the head. The free ends of the connecting members that protrude through the buckles 7 are adjusted to take up all slack. With the connecting members in position with respect to the halter 1 and the fixed support, stretch is obtained by lowering the patient towards the foot of the bed, the tension being registered on the graduated scale 9. If the patient is located in the sitting position, tension is obtained by equally lengthening or shortening the free ends 10 of the connecting members until the correct require-d tension is shown on the graduated scales 9. The el-asticised web members having the graduated scales applied thereto are readily utilized to obtain any required tension for any part of the body by merely fixing one end of the connecting members to a fixed support and attaching the other end of the connecting members to a corset, cuff or halter which is fitted to that part of the body to be stretched.

As described hereinabove, the rear portion of the pointer or indicator 8 is fixed to a non-stretchable portion of the adjacent web member or to a part of the buckle 7. This is to insure that the remaining portion of the indicator remains static when the web member is stretched. The indicator 8 may be made of a flexible material, such as a transparent plastic, whale bone, or other suitable fiexible material. Although not illustrated, a covering made of transparent flexible plastic or other suitable material may also define the indicator and would extend around the elastic web adjacent the buckle 7. In this connection, the flexible sleeve would have some form of a marking thereon that would cooperate with the scale on the elastic web to indicate the amount of tension applied to the part of the body being stretched. As seen in FIG. 3, the graduations that define the scale 9 begin at the end of the indicator 8 and ascend in numerical value toward the fixed end of the indicator. The graduations defining the scale 9 are ascertained arbitrarily to obtain the exact poundage exerted by stretching the elastic web.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a traction device that is utilized for therapeutic purposes in the stretching of various parts of the human body, a halter adapted to be mounted on the part of the body that is to be placed under tension, and at least one connecting member, one portion of which is interconnected to said halter and another portion of which is interconnected to a fixed support, said connecting member being formed in a closed band of substantially elasticized material and including a web member and an adjustable web portion that is formed as an extension of said web member, a first indicating means applied to said web memher and extending in a longitudinal direction thereon, a second indicating means located in fixed relation with respect to said web member and extending longitudinally thereof in adjacent relation to said first-named indicating means, one of said indicating means being defined by a graduated scale and the other being defined by an elongated indicator, said graduated scale being calibrated to indicate the load that is applied to the part of the body placed under tension by said device, buckle means secured to the free end of said web member, said adjustable web portion projecting through said buckle means, and a plurality of spaced markings formed on said adjustable web portion that define reference markings for said buckle means when adjusting the connecting member in position on the part of the body placed under tension, one of said indicating means being movable relative to the other when the web member is resiliently expanded in placing the part of the body to be stretched under tension, so as to indicate the load applied by said web member.

2. In a traction assembly that is utilized for therapeutic purposes in the stretching of various parts of the human body, a halter that is adapted to be placed around the head and jaw of a patient for exerting a tensile force on a cervical portion of the patient and that terminates in opposed upper ends, a pair of connecting members, each of which is interconnected to an end of said halter and to a fixed support and cooperating with each other to equally distribute the application of tensile force on the cervical portion of the patient, each of said connecting members being formed in a closed band of substantially elasticised material and including a web member and an adjustable web portion that is formed as an extension of said web member, a first indicating means applied to the web member of each connecting member, and a second indicating means located in fixed relation with respect to the web member of each connecting member and extending longitudinally thereof in adjacent relation to said first-named indicating means, one of said indicating means for each connecting member being defined by a graduated scale and the other being defined by an elongated indicator, each graduated scale being calibrated to indicate the load that is applied to the cervical portion of the patient placed under tension by said assembly, buckle means secured to the free end of each of said web members, each of said adjustable web portions projecting through a buckle means, one of said indicating means in each connecting member being movable relative to the other when its web member is resiliently expanded in placing the cervical portion of the patient under tension so as to indicate the load applied by the Web member to said cervical portion.

3. In a traction assembly as set forth in claim 2, each of the adjustable web portions in said connecting members having a plurality of spaced markings formed thereon that define reference markings for said buckle means when adjusting said connecting members in position, wherein each connecting member may be exactly adjusted to the same position with respect to the other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 187 1 OConnor 272-82 8/ 1905 Smokey 27280 1/1922; Turner 33179 3/1929 Christensen 272-82 11/1937 Kaplan 177232 1/ 1942 Roberts 12887 10/1947 McCann 33179 1/1949 Yeamans 177225 11/1957 Cook 12887 4/1958 Thompson l2875 FOREIGN PATENTS 11/19'17 Great Britain.

1/ 1922 Germany.

RICHARD A. GAUD-ET, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner. 

2. IN A TRACTION ASSEMBLY THAT IS UTILIZED FOR THEREPEUTIC PURPOSED IN THE STRETCHING OF VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, A HALTER THAT IS ADAPTED TO BE PLACED AROUND THE HEAD AND JAW OF A PATIENT FOR EXERTING A TENSILE FORCE ON A CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT AND THAT TERMINATES IN OPPOSED UPPER ENDS, A PAIR OF CONNECTING MEMBERS, EACH OF WHICH IS INTERCONNECTED TO AN END OF SAID HALTER AND TO A FIXED SUPPORT AND COOPERATING WITH EACH OTHER TO EQUALLY DISTRIBUTE THE APPLICATION OF TENSILE FORCE ON THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT, EACH OF SAID CONNECTING MEMBERS BEING FORMED IN A CLOSED BAND OF SUBSTANTIALLY ELASTICISED MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A WEB MEMBER AND AN ADJUSTABLE WEB PORTION THAT IS FORMED AS AN EXTENSION OF SAID WEB MEMBER, A FIRST INDICATING MEANS APPLIED TO THE WEB MEMBER OF EACH CONNECTING MEMBER, AND A SECOND INDICATING MEANS LOCATED IN FIXED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE WEB MEMBER OF EACH CONNECTING MEMBER AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN ADJACENT REALTION TO SAID FIRST-NAMED INDICATING MEANS, ONE OF SAID INDICATING MEANS FOR EACH CONNECTING MEMBER BEING DEFINED BY A GRADUATED SCALE AND THE OTHER BEING DEFINED BY AN ELONGATED INDICATOR, EACH GRADUATED SCALE BEING CALIBRATED TO INDICATE THE LOAD THAT IS APPLIED TO THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT PLACED UNDER TENSION BY SAID ASSEMBLY, BUCKLE MEANS SECURED TO THE FREE END OF EACH OF SAID WEB MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID ADJ/USTABLE WEB PORTIONS PROJECTING THROUGH A BUCKLE MEANS, ONE OF SAID INDICATING MEANS IN EACH CONNECTING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE OTHER WHEN ITS WEB MEMBER IS RESILIENTLY EXPANDED IN PLACING THE CERVICAL PORTION OF THE PATIENT UNDER TENSION SO AS TO INDICATE THE LOAD APPLIED BY THE WEB MEMBER TO SAID CERVICAL PORTION. 